# Podzol > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Podzol > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Podzol.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podzol > Source revision: 1297848255 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests}}{{Infobox soil |name=Podzol |alternative_name=Podsol, Podosol, Spodosol, Espodossolo |type= |type_link= |image=Podzol.jpg |image_size=250px |image_caption= The picture is of a stagnic podzol in upland Wales, and shows the typical sequence of organic topsoil with leached grey-white subsoil with iron-rich horizon below. This example has two weak [ironpan](/source/ironpan)s. |horizons='''H:''' common
'''O:''' always, has [humified](/source/humus) organic matter mixed with minerals
'''A:''' absent in most boreal podzolsPodzols by Otto Spaargaren in ''Encyclopedia of Soil Science'', pp. 580-582
'''E:''' common, is ashen grey and leached in [Fe](/source/Iron) and [Al](/source/aluminium)
'''B:''' always, receives Fe and Al through [illuviation](/source/illuviation)
'''C:''' common |composition_secondary= |classification_system=[WRB](/source/World_Reference_Base_for_Soil_Resources), [USDA soil taxonomy](/source/USDA_soil_taxonomy), others |parent_material=quartz rich debris and sediment |profile=O(Ah)EBhsC |code=PZ |process=[podzolization](/source/podzolization) |climate=[humid continental](/source/humid_continental_climate), [subarctic](/source/subarctic_climate), [oceanic](/source/oceanic_climate), [equatorial](/source/tropical_rainforest_climate) }} '''Podzols''', also known as '''podosols''', '''spodosols''', or '''espodossolos''', are the typical [soil](/source/soil)s of [conifer](/source/conifer)ous or [boreal forest](/source/Taiga)s and also the typical soils of [eucalypt](/source/eucalypt) forests and [heath](/source/heath)lands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of human interference through grazing and burning. In some British [moorland](/source/moorland)s with podzolic soils, [cambisol](/source/cambisol)s are preserved under [Bronze Age](/source/Bronze_Age) barrows.{{cite book |last = Dimbleby |first = GW |year = 1962 |title = The Development of British Heathlands and Their Soils |series= Oxford Forestry Memoirs |volume = 23 |location = Oxford |publisher = Clarendon Press |oclc = 3814746 }}{{page needed|date=February 2023}} == Term == Podzol means "under-ash" and is derived from the [Russian](/source/Russian_language) {{Lang|ru|под}} ({{Transliteration|ru|pod}}) + {{Lang|ru|зола́}} (''{{Transliteration|ru|zola}}''); the full form is {{Lang|ru|подзо́листая по́чва}} (''{{Transliteration|ru|podzolistaya pochva}}''), meaning "under-ashed soil". The term was first given in mid-1875 by [Vasily Dokuchaev](/source/Vasily_Dokuchaev),''Докучаев В. В.'' О подзоле Смоленской губернии // Труды Санкт-Петербургского общества естествоиспытателей. 1875. T. 6. Отд. минерал. и геол. Протоколы. С. XXI—XXII.''Докучаев В. В.'' О подзоле // Труды Императорского Вольного экономического общества. 1880. T. 1. Вып. 2. С. 142—150. and over time adopted by [soil science](/source/soil_science). It refers to the common experience of [Russian](/source/Russia) peasants of plowing up an apparent under-layer of ash (leached or [E horizon](/source/Eluvium)) during first plowing of a virgin soil of that type.''Rode A. A.'' To the problem of the degree of podzolization of soils // Studies in the genesis and geography of soils. M.: Acad. Sci. USSR, 1935. P. 55-70. == Characteristics == Podzols can occur on almost any parent material but generally derive from either quartz-rich sands and sandstone or sedimentary debris from magmatic rocks, provided there is high precipitation.Chesworth, W. (Eds.), 2008. ''Encyclopedia of soil science'', The Netherlands. Most Podzols are poor soils for [agriculture](/source/agriculture) due to the sandy portion, resulting in a low level of moisture and [nutrient](/source/nutrient)s. Some are sandy and excessively drained. Others have shallow rooting zones and poor drainage due to subsoil cementation. A low pH further compounds issues, along with phosphate deficiencies and aluminum toxicity. The best agricultural use of Podzols is for grazing, although well-drained [loam](/source/loam)y types can be very productive for crops if [lime](/source/agricultural_lime) and [fertilizer](/source/fertilizer) are used. The E horizon (or Ae in Canadian soil classification system), which is usually {{convert|4|to|8|cm|in|1}} thick, is low in Fe and Al oxides and humus. It is formed under moist, cool and acidic conditions, especially where the parent material, such as [granite](/source/granite) or [sandstone](/source/sandstone), is rich in [quartz](/source/quartz). It is found under a layer of [organic material](/source/organic_material) in the process of [decomposition](/source/decomposition), which is usually {{convert|5|to|10|cm|in|1}} thick. In the middle, there is often a thin horizon of {{convert|0.5|to|1|cm|in|1}}. The bleached soil horizon, which always has a higher [value](/source/Munsell_color_system) than the horizons above and below it, goes over into a red or red-brown horizon (so-called Podzolic B). The colour is strongest in the upper part, and change at a depth of {{convert|50|to|100|cm|in|-1}} progressively to the part of the soil that is mainly not affected by processes; that is the parent material. The [soil profile](/source/soil_profile)s are designated by the letters A ([topsoil](/source/topsoil)), E (eluviated soil), B ([subsoil](/source/subsoil)) and C ([parent material](/source/parent_material)). In some Podzols, the E horizon is absent—either masked by biological activity or obliterated by disturbance. Podzols with little or no E horizon development are often classified as brown Podzolic soils, also called '''[Umbrisol](/source/Umbrisol)s''' or '''[Umbrepts](/source/inceptisols)'''. ==Geographic distribution== [[File:Podzol map.svg|thumb|Distribution of Podzol soils according to the [World Reference Base for Soil Resources](/source/World_Reference_Base_for_Soil_Resources) classification: {{legend|#d95f0e|Dominant (more than 50% of soil cover)}} {{legend|#fec44f|Codominant (25–50%)}} {{legend|#fff7bc|Associated (5–25%)}}]] [[File:Conifer forest.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|The biome typically associated with Spodosols is [coniferous forest](/source/coniferous_forest).]] thumb|upright=1.6|Spodosols of the world Podzols cover about {{convert|4850000|km2|mi2}} worldwide and are usually found under [sclerophyll](/source/sclerophyll)ous woody vegetation. By extent Podzols are most common in temperate and [boreal zones](/source/Taiga) of the [Northern Hemisphere](/source/Northern_Hemisphere) but they can also be found in other settings including both [temperate rainforest](/source/temperate_rainforest)s and tropical areas.Spaargaren, Otto. Podzols. ''Encyclopedia of Soil Science'', pp. 580–581. In South America Podzols occur beneath ''[Nothofagus betuloides](/source/Nothofagus_betuloides)'' forests in [Tierra del Fuego](/source/Tierra_del_Fuego).{{Citation | last1 = Gerding | first1 = Victor | last2 = Thiers | first2 = Oscar | title = Characterization of soils of Nothofagus betuloides (Mirb) Blume forests, in Tierra del Fuego, Chile | journal = [Revista chilena de historia natural](/source/Revista_chilena_de_historia_natural) | volume = 75 | issue = 4 | year = 2002 | pages = 819–833 | language = es | doi = 10.4067/S0716-078X2002000400015 | doi-access= free }} == Podzolization == [[File:Eisenhumuspodsol.jpg|thumb|upright|A Podzol with a characteristic [eluvial](/source/eluvial) (bleached, ash-colored) horizon and intensely coloured [illuvial](/source/illuvial) horizons. The photo was taken in the Feldberg area, Southern Black Forest, Germany.]] '''Podzolization''' (or Podsolization{{Cite book|title=A dictionary of environment and conservation|last=C.|first=Park, Chris|others=Allaby, Michael|isbn=9780191826320|edition= 3rd|location=[Oxford]|oclc=970401188}}) is a complex [soil formation](/source/soil_formation) process by which dissolved [organic matter](/source/Soil_organic_matter) and ions of [iron](/source/iron) and [aluminium](/source/aluminium), released through weathering of various minerals, form organo-mineral complexes ([chelates](/source/Chelation)) and are moved from the upper parts of the soil profile and deposit in the deeper parts of soil. Through this process, the [eluvial](/source/Eluvium) horizon becomes bleached and of ash-grey colour. The complexes move with percolating water further down to [illuviated](/source/Illuviation) horizons which are commonly coloured brown, red or black as they accumulate and consist of cemented [sesquioxide](/source/sesquioxide)s and/or organic compounds. The podzolization is a typical soil formation process in Podzols.{{Cite book |last=Scheffer |first=Fritz |title=Lehrbuch der Bodenkunde |date=2018 |publisher=Spektrum, Akad. Verl |others=Schachtschabel, Paul; Blume, Hans-Peter |isbn=9783827414441 |edition=16. Aufl |location=Heidelberg |oclc=506415938}} === Preconditions === Podzolization usually occurs under [forest](/source/forest) or [heath](/source/heath) vegetation and is common in cool and humid climates as these climates inhibit the activity of [soil microbes](/source/soil_microbes) in the topsoil. Overall, podzolization happens where the [decomposition](/source/decomposition) of organic matter is inhibited and as a result, acidic organic surface (mor) layers build up. Under these typically acidic conditions, nutrient deficiency further hampers the microbial degradation of organic complexing agents. Medium to coarse textured soils with base-poor [parent material](/source/parent_material) (usually rich in [quartz](/source/quartz)) also promote podzolization, as they encourage percolating water flow.{{Cite journal|date=2000-02-01|title=The podzolization process. A review|journal=Geoderma|language=en|volume=94|issue=2–4|pages=91–107|doi=10.1016/S0016-7061(99)00036-1|issn=0016-7061|last1=Lundström|first1=U.S|last2=Van Breemen|first2=N.|last3=Bain|first3=D.|bibcode=2000Geode..94...91L}}{{Cite journal |last1=Sanborn |first1=Paul |last2=Lamontagne |first2=Luc |last3=Hendershot |first3=William |date=2011-01-01 |title=Podzolic soils of Canada: Genesis, distribution, and classification |journal=Canadian Journal of Soil Science |volume=91 |issue=5 |pages=843–880 |doi=10.4141/cjss10024 |bibcode=2011CaJSS..91..843S |issn=0008-4271}} === Key steps === The soil-forming process of podzolization can be broken down into two main steps: # Mobilization and translocation of organic matter, [Fe](/source/Iron) and [Al](/source/Aluminum) from the surface horizon, and # Immobilization and stabilization of organic matter, Fe and Al into the subsoil.{{Cite journal |last1=Buurman |first1=P. |last2=Jongmans |first2=A.G. |date=2005-03-01 |title=Podzolisation and soil organic matter dynamics |journal=Geoderma |language=en |volume=125 |issue=1–2 |pages=71–83 |bibcode=2005Geode.125...71B |doi=10.1016/j.geoderma.2004.07.006 |issn=0016-7061}}{{Cite journal|date=2017-06-15|title=Can Fe isotope fractionations trace the pedogenetic mechanisms involved in podzolization?|journal=Geoderma|language=en|volume=296|pages=38–46|doi=10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.02.020|issn=0016-7061|last1=Fekiacova|first1=Z.|last2=Vermeire|first2=M.L.|last3=Bechon|first3=L.|last4=Cornelis|first4=J.T.|last5=Cornu|first5=S.|url=http://orbi.ulg.ac.be/handle/2268/212632|bibcode=2017Geode.296...38F}}thumb|Podzol A layers In the topsoil of acidic soils, organic matter (mostly from [plant litter](/source/plant_litter), the humus layer and [root exudate](/source/root_exudate)s) together with Al- and Fe-ions, form organo-mineral complexes. These soluble [chelates](/source/Chelation) then relocate with percolating water from the [A](/source/A_horizon) (or [E horizon](/source/E_horizon)) to the [B horizon](/source/B_horizon). As a result of this, the E horizon (or Ae horizon in the [Canadian system of soil classification](/source/Canadian_system_of_soil_classification)) is left bleached and ash-grey in colour, while the B horizon becomes enriched with relocated organo-mineral complexes. The colour of B horizon is consequently red, brown or black, depending on the dominance of metal ions or organic matter. Usually, the boundary between the B and eluvial Ae (or E) horizon is very distinct, and sometimes a [hardpan](/source/hardpan) (or Ortstein) can form, as the relocated Fe and Al and organic matter increase mineral particles, cementing them into this compacted layer. There are several reasons why these organo-mineral complexes immobilize in the B horizon: If during the eluviation process more Al- or Fe-ions bind to the organic compounds, the complex can flocculate as the solubility of it decreases with increasing metal to carbon ratio. Apart from that, a higher [pH](/source/pH) (or higher Ca content) in the lower [soil horizon](/source/soil_horizon)s can result in the breakdown of metal-humus complexes. In the lower soil layers, the organic complexing agents can be degraded by functioning [microorganism](/source/microorganism)s. Already established complexes in the [B horizon](/source/B_horizon) can act as a filter, as they adsorb the traveling complexes from the upper soil horizons. A decreased water conductivity due to higher clay content can also result in the early flocculation of organo-mineral complexes. The relocated substances can sometimes separate in the illuvial horizons. Then, organic substances are mostly enriched in the uppermost part of the illuvial horizon, whereas Fe- and Al-oxides are mostly found in the lower parts of the illuvial horizon. Podzolization also promotes the relocation of some nutrients ([Cu](/source/Copper), [Fe](/source/Iron), [Mn](/source/Manganese), [Mo](/source/Molybdenum) and [P](/source/Phosphorus)) that sometimes brings them closer to plant [root](/source/root)s. == In different soil classification systems == The definitions in different soil classification systems are quite different. Especially soils that show pronounced other soil-forming processes in addition to podzolization are handled in different ways. The following correlations refer to soils, which have undergone advanced podzolization but lack prominent other soil-forming processes. The term '''Podzols''' is used in the ''[World Reference Base for Soil Resources](/source/World_Reference_Base_for_Soil_Resources)''{{Cite web|url = https://wrb.isric.org/files/WRB_fourth_edition_2022-12-18.pdf|title = World Reference Base for Soil Resources, fourth edition|author = IUSS Working Group WRB|year = 2022|publisher = International Union of Soil Sciences, Vienna|access-date = 2023-08-18}} (WRB) and in many national soil classification systems (in some of them, spelled '''Podsols'''). * The ''[USDA soil taxonomy](/source/USDA_soil_taxonomy)''{{Cite web |url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/class/?cid=nrcs142p2_053580 |title=Keys to Soil Taxonomy 2014 |access-date=2018-11-27 |archive-date=2018-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128040416/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/class/?cid=nrcs142p2_053580 |url-status=dead }} and the ''Chinese soil taxonomy''{{Cite book|title = Chinese Soil Taxonomy|author=Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences|year = 2001|publisher = Science Press, Beijing, New York}} call these soils '''Spodosols'''.{{Cite web|url=http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/spodosols.html|title=Spodosols|website=geo.msu.edu|access-date=2018-05-04|archive-date=2018-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330055808/http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/spodosols.html|url-status=live}} * The ''[Canadian system of soil classification](/source/Canadian_system_of_soil_classification)'' matches Podzols with soils under the '''Podzolic''' order (e.g. Humo-Ferric Podzol).{{Cite web|url=http://www.soilsofcanada.ca/orders/podzolic.php|title=Podzolic - Soils of Canada|website=www.soilsofcanada.ca|language=en|access-date=2018-05-07|archive-date=2018-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422144018/http://www.soilsofcanada.ca/orders/podzolic.php|url-status=live}}{{Cite book|title=The Canadian system of soil classification|author=Canadian Agricultural Services Coordinating Committee. Soil Classification Working Group|date=1998|publisher=NRC Research Press|isbn=978-0585119052|edition= 3rd|location=Ottawa|oclc=44961488}} * The ''[Australian Soil Classification](/source/Australian_Soil_Classification)''{{Cite web|url = http://www.clw.csiro.au/aclep/asc_re_on_line_V2/soilhome.htm|title = Australian Soil Classification, second edition (as Online Interactive Key)|author = R.F. Isbell and the National Committee on Soil and Terrain|year = 2016|access-date = 11 February 2016|publisher = CSIRO|archive-date = 29 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160229004013/http://www.clw.csiro.au/aclep/asc_re_on_line_V2/soilhome.htm|url-status = live}} uses the term '''Podosols'''. * The ''Brazilian Soil Classification System''{{Cite book|title = Sistema Brasileira de Classificação de Solos, quinta edição|author=dos Santos, Humberto Gonçalves|display-authors=etal|year = 2018|publisher = Embrapa, Brasilia}} calls them '''Espodossolos'''. == See also == * [Soil type](/source/Soil_type) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== * W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard: Soils of the World. Springer, Berlin 2022, Chapter 3.3.3. {{ISBN|978-3-540-30460-9}} == External links == {{Commons category|Podsol}} {{Wiktionary}} * {{cite web| url =https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soil/soil-science| title =Spodosols| publisher =USDA-NRCS| access-date =2006-05-14| url-status =live| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060509223516/http://soils.usda.gov/technical/classification/orders/spodosols.html| archive-date =2006-05-09}} * {{cite web|url=http://grunwald.ifas.ufl.edu/Nat_resources/soil_orders/spodosols.htm |title=Spodosols |publisher=University of Florida |access-date=2006-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040918224312/http://grunwald.ifas.ufl.edu/Nat_resources/soil_orders/spodosols.htm |archive-date=September 18, 2004 }} * {{cite web| url =http://soils.ag.uidaho.edu/soilorders/spodosols.htm| title =Spodosols| publisher =University of Idaho| access-date =2006-05-14| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060327074451/http://soils.ag.uidaho.edu/soilorders/spodosols.htm| archive-date =2006-03-27| url-status =dead}} * [https://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/taxa/cssc3/chpt10.html The Podzolic Order] * Podzol http://classification.soilweb.ca/podzol/ * http://edafologia.ugr.es/revista/tomo9b/a107text.pdf * [https://wrb.isric.org/picture-gallery/ profile photos (with classification)] WRB homepage * [https://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=73|title=IUSS profile photos (with classification)] IUSS World of Soils {{Soil type}} {{Authority control}} Category:Pedology Category:Types of soil --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Podzol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podzol) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podzol?action=history)). 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